Drabbles and Shorts
by Jenivi7
Summary: A place for all those writings that are too small for their own stories.  Contains everything from fluff to silliness to something a little darker plus lots of puzzle and tendershipping.  And any other pairing I happen to write XD
1. Sunset

Welcome! This shall be my official spot for drabbles and shorts that are too small or unconnected to exist on their own. I'll list pairing and short descriptors at the beginning of each so that you have at least a little forewarning before reading. They range from silly to fluffy to dark to sensual and may contain much gayness as I exist off a diet of puzzle and tendershipping. But anyways, enough blather! On to the first drabble. well, it's technically the size of two drabbles but who's counting . . .

Title: Sunset

Pairings: I don't want to ruin it by saying but they are the pairings that comprise my own personal fandom.

Descriptor: A romantic scene of fluff on the beach written when out with my family for my birthday and the scene was just too gorgeous to pass up.

* * *

**Sunset**

The sun sets, splashing tones of red, orange and yellow across the sky.

Crimson and violet eyes take in the colors from where they sit, back to back, each with head resting on the other's shoulder.

They watch the sky and speak in a way that no one else can hear.

Two blonds walk the length of the beach and the shorter slips her hand into that of the boy beside her.

She looks away, out over the ocean to hide her embarrassment and he also looks away, out over the land, to hide a smile of triumph.

A blue haired girl stands watching the waves as the tall boy behind her puts his hands on her shoulders.

Power flows around them both and great dragon wings extend from her shoulders, shimmering and translucent in the fading light.

Farther down still, one white haired boy says something to a companion that could be his twin, then takes off running with the other chasing close behind.

They run along the wet sand and their laughter is lost in the roar of the waves.

And one lone writer sits on the cold sand and watches her characters enjoy the fading daylight as the waves crawl closer and closer.


	2. An Awkward Conversation

**Title:** An Awkward Conversation  
**Pairing:** Possibly puzzle and tendershipping though it's just silliness and doesn't have to be read that way.  
**Warnings:** um, some implications made by Bakura and one usage of the f-word by a very pissed off Ryou.  
**Summary:** A few days after Bakura gets his own body, Yugi makes a phone call to make sure Ryou is still alive and well.

* * *

**An Awkward Conversation**

Yugi waited patiently as the line continued to ring. What had it been? Seven, eight rings already? Didn't answering machines usually pick up at four? The line clicked as it was finally picked up.

"Whrrr."

Wait, was that someone _saying_ whir?

"Yo. You've reached Ryou's answering machine," came the much deeper voice of Ryou's darker half. "Ryou's not available right now, probably because I have him tied up somewhere in another part of the house _doing_ things to him," the leer in Bakura's voice left no question as to exactly what kind of things he meant and Yugi's jaw dropped. "So if you'll just leave a message . . ."

"Ahhhh! 'KURA!"

Yugi quickly yanked the phone away from his ear as Ryou's frantic shout interrupted the 'message.'

"God damn it 'Kura! You turned off the fucking answering machine AGAIN, didn't you?" Ryou continued rather shrilly as Bakura began to laugh. A short series of scuffling noises erupted and Yugi cautiously started to return the phone to his ear.

"Give it! Gimme the phone!" Bakura only laughed harder and Yugi immediately regretted having pulled the phone closer again when a loud pop of static indicated that the receiver on the other end had been dropped. There was more scuffling and the sound of the phone being dropped again.

Finally Bakura's laughter faded slightly into the background and there was a light panting from the other end as Ryou attempted to catch his breath before speaking.

"Look, whoever this is, I am so, SO sorry. This is Ryou speaking now . . ."

"…" Yugi suddenly wasn't sure if he should speak or perhaps try calling again later.

"Hello?"

"Um . . . hi! Uh, it's Yugi . . ."

They shared a mutual moment of embarrassed silence.

"Um, hi Yugi. What's up?"

"Well, uh, Yami and I just wanted to make sure you were alright and . . . ah . . . well . . ." It didn't really sound like anything other than mischief on Bakura's part but Yugi decided he had better make sure. "Ryou, should I be concerned?" He asked seriously.

"What? No! Really! We're doing fine, I mean, everything's really ok. He just . . . I . . . well . . ." a slight hesitation, then "Yugi, he has the absolute weirdest sense of humor of anyone I've ever met!" Ryou complained, sounding both exasperated and annoyed at the same time. Yugi relaxed and grinned, the sincerity in his friend's voice soothing his anxieties more than the words.

"Well if you ever need to get away, you know you're welcome to stop by the game shop at anytime. Heck, you could even bring him with you. I'm sure he'd enjoy having someone else to annoy." Yugi offered and almost burst into laughter when Yami raised an eyebrow suspiciously at him from where he sat nearby, watching his light and listening in on the conversation.

"Thanks. I might just do that. Sorry I can't chat longer, but I've found that the only real way to keep Bakura out of trouble is to keep him occupied and he has already disappeared on me."

"Right! No problem, you had best go then. Well, I'll talk to you later Ryou and I meant what I said about stopping by."

"I know, I'll see you later, I promise. Oh wait! I almost forgot! I caught Bakura trying to bake the other day and whatever it was he made has disappeared, along with several small household items so don't eat ANYTHING that randomly shows up on your doorstep or window sill, ok?"

"Ooookay." Yugi said just as there was a rather loud crash from Ryou's end of the conversation.

"AH! SorryYugigottago,seeyoulater. BAKURA!" Click.

Yugi giggled as he returned the phone to it's base and turned back to Yami who calmly waited for the status report.

"Y'know what, Yami? I think they're going to be just fine after all."

Yami just nodded and went back to examining the oddly shaped, slightly blackened cookie he held. Yugi looked at it in alarm.

"Where did you get that?" He asked, snatching it away.

"There are a bunch of them on a plate in the kitchen, why?" Yami pinned his light with a slightly sullen glare at having his treat taken away. Even if it hadn't looked quite normal.

"I'm pretty sure Bakura made them."

"Oh."

"Yugi?" Solomon's voice called out uncertainly from the direction of the kitchen. "Did someone . . . try to make cookies?"

"Don't eat those!" Yugi and Yami both called out in unison.


	3. The Reminder

**Title:** The Reminder  
**Pairing:** Puzzleshipping! Yay XD  
**Warnings:** Slightly darker, seductive smexyness  
**Summary:** Just a little bit of Atemu being the sex god that he is

**The Reminder**

Yugi took one look around the club and made a mental note never, NEVER to let Merik or Bakura pick the evening's entertainment again.

What really surprised him though, was Atemu's reaction. He just watched with his arms crossed and an amused smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as the two disappeared into the crowd, hikaris in tow.

"Atemu?" Yugi tugged at his dark's arm. "Atemu, we're not going to stay, are we?"

Atemu leaned closer until his mouth hovered just over Yugi's ear.

"And why not, Hikari?" The way his dark purred his nickname and his close proximity brought a flush to Yugi's face. He squeaked as Atemu slipped an arm around him and pulled him onto the dance floor then started to move seductively against him.

"You seem to have forgotten, Yugi,"

Grind

"Perhaps I should remind you,"

Lick

"That I am also Darkness."

Bite

A pleasurable haze clouded Yugi's mind while Atemu proceeded to show him exactly why he had taken the name 'Yami' when they first met.


	4. Never for Good

**Title:** Never for good  
**Pairing:** Tendershipping  
**Warnings:** Darkness! and blood and boy kisses.  
**Summary:** The spirit of the ring never seems to stay banished for long.

**Never for Good**

I bang my hand against the bathroom wall.

It leaves a smear of blood behind.

Not all of it's mine

I had been cornered again

I never was a good fighter

At least this time I had given as good as I got

But in the end I had to find an opening and escape

The blood makes a memory tickle the back of my mind

I used to have a protector

I didn't used to get beat up like this

There used to be someone the bullies were afraid of.

I hit the wall again.

Why can't I remember!

Something about a ring . . .

Something about Yuugi and his grandfather . . .

They were the reason he was gone and I couldn't remember, I am sure of it.

Something else tickles the back of my mind at that point.

A familiar presence.

_Yadounoushi . . ._

I turn to the door as it flies open.

I'm sure I had locked it.

And there he stands.

Tall and menacing and covered in blood.

And none of it his, I'm sure.

The memories begin trickling back as he walks up to me.

Expressions of fright and joy war on my face.

I think they've ended up settling on a grin that looks half mad.

He grabs my hand and licks some of the blood off my palm.

"Some of it's theirs."

I nod.

He looks pleased.

He backs me against the wall and pins me there.

Lifts my chin and licks a path along my jaw, finally ending at my mouth where his tongue forces its way past my lips and he kisses me roughly.

Vicious, brutal, psychotic, homicidal sex fiend.

God I missed him.


	5. Seto vs Nailah

**Title:** Seto vs. Nailah, Round 1  
**Pairing:** none this time  
**Summary:** Slightly connected to Phoenix, the new kitten takes a liking to Seto.

**Seto vs. Nailah, Round 1**

Mokuba leaves the room and Seto returns to typing on his laptop. The kitten wanders over and sits at his feet, staring up at him.

Seto refuses to acknowledge it.

The small cat jumps onto the table and sits next to his laptop, staring at him from a less avoidable angle.

Seto still pointedly ignores it.

Finally, the feline jumps directly into his lap, only to immediately finds itself gently dumped back on the floor.

Undiscouraged, the determined creature softly pads its way behind Seto's chair, climbs onto the bookcase then drops into his lap from above.

Seto gives a small cry of surprise, then tries to pick it up only to find that the kitten has used its claws to attach itself to his pants.

He gives it another experimental tug but stops before the fabric rips. All the while, the miniature cat continues to stare him down. Seto finally relents and lets go of it, throwing his hands up in resignation.

"Fine! Do as you wish. I do not have the time or the inclination to argue with a cat."

He can swear the kitten gives him a smug look before it circles, finds a comfortable spot and curls up to nap.

Seto looks down at it, shakes his head and goes back to his typing.


	6. Ryou's Turn

Hehe, here's one for Ryou based upon ideas that will be further expounded on in Phoenix XD but I won't say anything else cause that's at the end and we're soooo not there yet . . . ANYWAYS, getting 100 words exactly is HARD! My word processor says 99 and the word count here said 100 before I added this note. go figure.

* * *

"It can't get you now. It can't get you." 

It was Ryou's turn to comfort.

He wrapped his arms around the shivering boy.

"We're together finally. Everything will be alright."

His turn to protect.

He cradled his dark's head in the crook of his neck and felt the shaking subside.

"It won't go where there's light. It can't even get close while I'm here."

His turn to love.

He pulled back to look Bakura in the eye.

"Don't worry, I won't leave. I won't let it get you again. Ever."

And kissed him softly on the lips.

"Aishiteru Bakura."


	7. The Final Straw

Crack ficlet done for a community on live journal. Because it looked lonely.

No pairings or warnings or anything, just a bit of fun.

* * *

The Final Straw

"Um, Bakura? What happened to my laptop?"

"It looked at me funny."

Ryou inhaled sharply. He knew all to well what that usually meant.

"It WHAT? Please tell me you didn't . . ."

"It deserved it. It started beeping at me and resisted all attempts to make it stop. It defied me, Ryou. You know what happens to things that defy me."

(censored)

Bakura blinked, vaguely surprised. He was unaware that Ryou knew that many cuss words. In fact, he would have been extremely proud of his yadounushi had they not been aimed at him. Bakura opened his mouth to give a snarky retort.

Ryou cut him off.

"No! My entire life is on that laptop! You will go to the shadow realm and get it back. Right. Now."

Bakura stared at the furious boy who was supposed to be his light half and opened his mouth again.

"RIGHT NOW!"

Bakura stared a moment longer, jaw still hanging open, then the ring glowed and he disappeared.

And people thought _he_ was psychotic.

"And bring back the toaster while you're at it!"


	8. Filling the Silence

**Title:** Filling the Silence  
**Word Count:** 401  
**Warnings:** End of series spoilery goodness  
**Author's Note:** I was thinking after reading too much of LeDiz's stuff, and this just kinda happened  
**Summary:** Later that night, after the final ceremonial dual, the silence gets heavy.

* * *

The first thing he noticed when he was alone that night was the quiet. 

And not just quiet or stillness, but the complete absence, the hole in his mind where his other had resided for the past two and a half years.

Almost three years of having a spirit in his head and then suddenly . . . nothing.

He decided he didn't like it.

Yugi got up from where he lay in bed and began digging through his luggage, making as much noise as possible, trying to find something to fill the silence.

Anything would do.

He finally dug out an old disk man and offered a silent prayer of thanks for his grandfather's reminder, just before he left, that it was going to be a long flight.

He then began to fish through the small selection of disks.

Humming absently to himself without realizing it.

Punk, alternative, rock . . . they would do well to fill the silence but were all much too upbeat and boisterous to fall asleep to. He tossed them irritably to the side and stomped out the door and down the hall to the room at the end.

Jou answered his loud knocking and seemed startled to find that he'd been woken from sleep by his normally shy and quiet friend. The same one who just now realized that he'd been asleep and was apologizing profusely.

"Na, it's ok, Yug. Really. Whaddya need?"

Finally, after about an hour of searching, talking about nothing, and generally enjoying each other's company, they found some CDs that would provide enough background noise and not keep him awake for the entirety of the night.

Yugi finally turned to leave, thanking his best friend for the disks and the distraction and promising to not to bring them back scratched.

"Hey, Yug," Jou said before he disappeared out the door, "Are you ok, man?"

Yugi turned but didn't quite meet his gaze.

Honestly . . . no, he wasn't alright. Probably wouldn't be for a long time, but . . .

"I will be." He finally looked up and gave Jou what he hoped was a reassuring smile even through it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Jou just nodded his understanding, gave his buddy a manly hug and said one last goodnight.

Yugi returned to his room, put on one of the CDs, and attempted to drown out the world.


	9. Just Me

**Title:** Just Me  
**Word Count:** 289  
**Warnings:** none really. Well, slight puzzleshipping but not really?  
**Author's Note:** Companion piece to Afterwards. They were both kinda written at the same time. Set loosely within the framework of Phoenix and I might slip it into the main story somewhere. or I just may leave it as something separate but related.  
**Summary:** A bit of self reflection from Yugi after Atemu returns as to the hardest part about him leaving . . . leaning how to be just Yugi again.

* * *

You know what took me the longest to get used to? 

The silence.

After three years of your playing back seat passenger in my head that's what was the hardest part to adjust to.

I think I drove everyone around me nuts for a couple months.

Constantly playing loud music,

Always stomping everywhere I went,

Or making more noise than I needed to while doing chores.

And always talking.

Even when I was alone,

Talking out loud to myself,

Voicing my thoughts on everything

Just for the noise itself.

I think I really scared Jou.

He's usually the loud one and suddenly I was making twice the noise he ever did.

I think he understood though.

They all must have.

Because no one ever said anything.

They just accepted it.

_I'm sorry, Aibou . . ._

No,

It's not your fault.

I mean, that part I had to get used to, right?

Even now that you are back we're not mind connected anymore.

It was good that I had some time to get used to the quiet.

It only took a few months anyways.

I mean, for a long while I just wanted to drown out everything.

Especially my own inner voice.

I think I was afraid of it sounding too much like yours.

Or not like yours at all.

Of it being inferior and not at all worthwhile.

And then . . .

And then I finally realized that my own voice _was_ worth listening to.

That it said things that were interesting and relevant and that I shouldn't shut it out.

Because, while it wasn't you,

And nothing I could ever think or say would ever be like you,

That it was just me.

And that was a good thing.


	10. Faithful

Woke up with a Seto/Kisara Drabble in my head this morning so here ya go XD

Consider this possibly the first of a 'five things that never happened' thing. Saw a meme like that once and it still gnaws at my brain.

* * *

Seth leaned down and placed a small kiss on the dying girl's lips.

It would have to be enough,

Because it was all they would ever get.

Seto watched in the mirror as a hand was placed on his shoulder and the face of the person behind him came into focus.

Young and pale, with a homely beauty, a gentle elegance, and kind, sad eyes.

He held her reflected gaze this time and lifted his own hand to cover hers.

He felt nothing but his own shoulder and when he turned around, there was no one there.

There never was, but he could feel her presence in the room still.

Faithfully watching over him,

Even after all these years.


	11. Foam Warfare

A/N: Hehe, something a bit on the lighter side for MyAibou and FallingWithStyle who pointed out how sad the last one was. And because these things usually come in twos. I have no idea why.

Kaiba household post-Kisara revival XD

* * *

_Skid … CRASH!_

Crap. Kisara winced but only spared the downed entryway table a brief glance before ducking down the adjourning hallway and into the dining room, hiding herself behind the massive table. She'd have to check and make sure nothing was broken, but later. Because right now, she was in the middle of a war.

And right now, he was probably hunting her. Her enemy, her mentor, she was sure he'd heard the crash but perhaps that could be used to her advantage. She pulled out a chair and tucked herself between two others, leveling her weapon and taking careful aim at the doorway, glad she had insisted on wearing jeans this morning.

A shadow played across the frame . . . It was him! She sent a small puff of air upwards to try and knock aside that infernal piece of hair that always seemed to be in her way and remembered what her mentor-turned-betrayer had taught her.

Steady breath, steady hands.

Squeeze the trigger gently, never pull.

Don't fire until you see the whites of your opponents eyes . . .

_Squeeze, click, whoosh, thunk!_

Damn her quick reflexes! The person who had taken the missile right between the eyes was not the enemy!

Seto stared at Kisara in shock and confusion then went cross eyed as he tried to look at the suction tipped Nerf dart currently sticking out from the middle of his forehead.

"It was Mokuba's idea!" Yelled the fleeing form of the blue haired girl.

He reached up and yanked off the dart as two more attached themselves to his briefcase.

"So not!" Replied Mokuba only after he had taken the shot and was well on his way to a new hiding place.

Said case clattered to the ground and Seto darted into the living room where he had left his own specially modified Nerf gun after the last 'war.' Later, someone would definitely be in trouble for the broken vase in the front room but right now, he had a sibling and a girlfriend to school in the arts of foam warfare.


	12. Acceptance

Happy New Year all XD First, a little puppyshipping for you and then, hopefully, a lot more stuff to come in the next few days!

* * *

Casual touch.

Casual warmth.

Something he never thought he'd ever share with another person.

Not even his brother touched him so casually though he found he didn't mind, not when it came from Jou, and where he'd usually flinch away, he leaned in and where he never would have cared, he sought it out.

It was something so simple, so different, but so wonderful.

Why?

That this touch felt so different from any other defied any kind of rationality. Though it made a strange sort of sense as Jou, himself, defied any sort of rationality.

And perhaps he shouldn't be trying to rationalize.

Maybe he should just take a page from Jou's book this time.

And accept.


	13. The Storm

A little tendershipping this time, written during work to match the weather outside.

* * *

Lightning forked across the sky. 

Dark and intense with contained fury.

Beautiful.

Bakura sat on the porch, leaning against the wall with knee up and arm draped carelessly over it, sheltered from the rain but for the stray drops carried on angry gusts of wind.

He watched.

Watched the wind and the rain and storm's rage.

His own quiet for once.

From inside the house, Ryou watched.

Watched his dark, seeing and feeling and wondering at the strange, calming effect the storm's chaos had him.

Even the wind and rain seemed to flow over and around him, as afraid to disturb the oddly peaceful moment as Ryou himself was.

Bakura looked around sharply and met his eye, holding it, pinning him to the spot and making it impossible to pretend that he hadn't been staring.

Ryou's heart stopped.

His dark was truly beautiful in the absence of the angry snarl or harsh glare that normally contorted his features.

Strange and ethereal and intense.

So much like the storm itself.

Bakura's expression remained neutral as he considered his lighter half. He held out his hand.

Ryou hesitated, then nervously opened the door and walked outside, shivering lightly when the wind cut through him.

He stopped again, unsure, but Bakura kept his eyes on his and his hand out until Ryou slowly reached up to take it. Long fingers closed around his own and he was pulled downward until he was sitting between Bakura's legs, leaning against his chest. Strong arms folded around him and together they continued to watch the storm as it raged through the sky above.


	14. Taming the Dark

Just a drabble that wouldn't let me sleep last night XD

Warnings for dark tendershipping smex!

* * *

Pushed down onto the bed, hand at his neck, legs spread, familiar weight settling over him.

Roughly handled and entered and he couldn't stop the soft cries of pain and pleasure.

But Bakura liked those.

Liked when he yelled and cried and screamed for him to stop.

Though while he still yelled and cried sometimes, he never screamed at him to stop anymore.

He screamed for a different reason now.

And he suspected that Bakura liked that too.

And sometimes, more recently, when they lay exhausted and spent, tangled in the sheets, still tangled in each other, his darkness stayed.

This night,

This night calloused hands on his face startled him and he opened his eyes to stare into crimson and only had time to part his lips in surprise before they were covered, tasted by the dark's own.

Soft, so soft as to not be recognizable as belonging to the creature of death and violence.

Short and brief before pulling quickly away and Ryou looked up to see his strange other flushed and wide eyed.

He reached out but Bakura shied back, he reached out again and his darkness allowed himself to be touched, a soft caress down the side of his face that, after a moment, he relaxed into.

This night he stayed

The next night Ryou showed him something different, something soft and gentle and equally passionate.


	15. Laundry

A/N: Inspired by and meant to be the other side of LeDiz's Case File Minutes: Necrophelia which is a BRILLIANT little fic and anyone who hasn't read it must XD

* * *

Yugi hung another piece of laundry

Then straightened

And stretched

And snuck a quick glance over to where Yami and Anzu stood in conversation.

Yami wasn't looking

But he was looking pointedly away

And appeared to be rather flushed and flustered.

Yugi hid a small smile

And thought that he should eventually tell his dark

That he moved the way he did

Because he was watching.


	16. Mischief and Sharpies

A/N: My own take on what would happen if Bakura got a hold of colored sharpies. Based upon Colour me Rainbow by Ryuujitsu which is some uber cute tendershipping-y-ness XD

* * *

Ryou splashed water on his face and looked blearily into the mirror. He blinked. He looked around the room to make sure the lighting wasn't playing tricks.

Why was his hair red?

His eyes began to widen in panic and horror and that's when he noticed the odd smell. Sharpie?

"BAKURA!"

* * *

"Um, Ryou?"

Ryou turned toward his friend, giving him a calm, even look and answering as though nothing were out of the ordinary. "Yes, Yugi?"

"Why is your hair red?"

"Sharpie. Apparently."

"Um, you colored you hair with sharpie?" Yugi asked, unsurely.

"No." Still calm, still in control, but Yugi must have seen something else there because he took a step back.

"Oh," he said when he realized what Ryou meant by the no and decided not to ask anymore questions.

* * *

The were trying to whisper but Ryou overhead them anyways as he put away his books to head to the next class.

"What really worries me is that he's so calm about it."

The formerly white haired boy looked down at his watch and almost smiled.

Bakura had three more hours to live.

* * *

The door opened silently and Ryou placed his bag in its usual spot in the entryway. Placed it very carefully. Didn't drop it like he normally did. When he took off his shoes, that, too, was done fluidly and deliberately and when he set them them on floor, he made sure they didn't make a sound. He placed his foot on the slightly raised floor of the hall, transferred his weight, stepped up and squared his feet with his shoulders. Perfectly calm, perfectly balanced, perfectly in tune with his home. His territory.

"Bakura," he called out, letting his voice drift down the hall and up the stairs. "I'm home."

If there was one thing he'd learned from his dark, the hunt was always more fun if the prey knew you were coming.

And then he listened. Because he'd learned more from his darkness than just that.

The creak that came from the floor boards on the second level betrayed Bakura's location. And the fact that the thief knew exactly how much trouble he was in.

Ryou stalked slowly and soundlessly up the stairs in such a way that even his friends would have mistaken him for his darker half.

* * *

"Not pink! Not pink!"

"Stop squirming!"

* * *

They were whispering again but this time that was the point and Ryou grinned as he walked through the center of the downtown area, Bakura following along behind and trying desperately and fruitlessly to retain his usual air of casual indifference. Despite his scraggly, and now bright pink, mane of hair.


	17. Ten Seto Pairings

**Ten Sentences, Ten Pairings: Seto**

Kisses, soft and sweet and urgent and wide eyed and small he may be but innocent he was not and Seto found that there were more pleasurable things to compete over than card games.

Card games were fun but some things were better like crimson eyes that glowed in the depths of night and challenged him at everything and he had yet to win but the night wasn't over and he swore he would by morning.

They were too alike in all the wrong ways but it was the differences, mainly the fierce, stubborn loyalty of the other that finally brought grudging respect, tentative friendship, and eventually, even love.

Soft and pretty maybe but never fragile, though just from looking, one would never guess that he'd endured worse than any of them and now that all was over and he no longer isolated himself to protect them all from the monster he had harbored, the urge was to protect him from the all the ills of the world, though he hardly needed it.

Cuts and bites and bruises and he'd never seen his lover's face and knew how very fucked up it would sound to anyone else but they both were and pain was the only thing that let him feel alive anymore.

Loud and brash and it was no wonder all her friends were male though she'd once made the mistake of trying to bully him into line as she did the rest of her boys and the resulting battle of wills had ended with them both naked in his bed and trying to figure out when the shouting match had turned into something else entirely.

They say you're your own worst enemy and the fights and snide remarks and bitter words only proved the phrase correct and they wouldn't be caught dead in the same room with each other but for the sex.

Years upon years of protecting and defending and relying on only each other and Seto found that he could deny the boy nothing.

He'd found him lost and abused and wanted to show the boy how an older brother was supposed to behave but hadn't been prepared for what the other had wanted to show him.

But there was only one who haunted his memories and dreams, who's soul still twined around his, protecting and watching and there was only one he'd embrace his past for, embrace forgotten magics for, all in the hopes of a second chance.

* * *

A/N: Bonus points to anyone who can guess all the pairings XD


	18. All For A Kiss

A/N: Rather silly Kleptoshipping this time! When I should be writing a million other things XD But this amused me horribly and demanded to be written. Unfortunately I can't find the fanart that it's based off of!

* * *

"Hey Ryou, let me have the body," was the only warning he got before being nudged out of the way.

It was more warning than he usually got, but the spirit seemed to be distracted. He had felt him watching Yugi, felt his decision, and unfortunately, was unable to avert what he was sure would be the end of the world.

He could only watch as Bakura grabbed the chain of the puzzle and leaned forward quickly, trying to take Yugi by surprise.

Because if he was going to steal a kiss, he was sure that was the only way to do it.

Unfortunately the spirit of the ring didn't quite make it all the way to Yugi's lips before being pushed back by the spirit of the puzzle. A very pissed off spirit of the puzzle. Complete with glowing eye in the center of his forehead and gathering shadows hanging heavy in the air around them.

/Yami!/ came the scolding admonishment of the lighter half. Unlike Ryou, he was not used to being pushed.

Bakura hurriedly shoved Ryou back to the foreground as Yugi demanded an explanation.

/He tried to kiss you/ the spirit managed, distracted by both finding himself facing down a rather shocked and vaguely panicked looking Ryou, and by Yugi's anger.

He was further surprised by the boy's indignant response. /And you pushed me out?/

Yugi then forcibly took back his body, and shocked them all by kissing the wrong person having missed the prior switch.

"Oops! I'm sorry, I missed," he offered rather sheepishly.

The spirit of the ring's laughter filled Ryou's mind and he managed to step aside this time before being pushed.

"Not by much," Bakura said and kissed Yugi properly.

"You're not mad that I missed?" he asked when he was able to speak again.

"It's the sentiment that counts," the other replied.

And kissed him again.


	19. Have You Tried Setting It On Fire?

A/N: No pairings and no warnings, just some goofiness inspired by conversations with friends over coffee today XD

* * *

"Have you tried setting it on fire?"

Everyone turned to look at Ryou, and closely, trying to determine weather or not the spirit of the ring had taken over when they weren't looking. The way he ducked his head at the sudden silent attention proved otherwise, however.

"Um, sorry, it's the first rule of problem solving in the old Dungeons and Dragons editions," he explained quickly.

"Have you tried setting it on fire . . ." Jou repeated slowly, looking thoughtful until Anzu hit him.

"No! We are not setting anything on fire."

Honda reluctantly put the flint and torch back in his bag and slung it back over his shoulder.

"Oh, I don't know, Anzu . . ." the voice of Dark Yuugi drawled lazily.

He leaned against the wall of one of the buildings, eye of Ra glowing brightly in the middle of his forehead and hand upraised, orange and green flames dancing over it.

Everyone's attention then turned to their 'problem,' who was now cowering against the opposite wall, looking back at them with fright and panic in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'll help! Please don't set me on fire! The castle is five leagues that way but there's a program shortcut in the back of the tavern that will take you straight there!"

One more look at Dark Yuugi, minus the fire but still wearing that unstable, slightly manic smirk, and the NPC screamed and barreled out of the alleyway, nearly running into a very displeased Seto on the way.

"Mokuba," he said to no one in particular as the younger Kaiba wasn't currently with the group.

"Yeah?" came the sheepish reply from overhead.

"Who told the NPC's about the programmer's back doors?"

"Um," he laughed nervously, "Noah thought it would be a really great joke if we made the NPC's self aware like that."

"There is such a thing as taking the artificial intelligence too far."

"Right, sorry, we'll make sure to fix it." He paused. "Um, it was pretty funny though, right?"

Before the sound cut out they could hear stifled giggles from the two boys.

Seto rolled his eyes and waved a hand dismissively. The kind of thing that admitted that it WAS rather amusing but he wasn't going to say.

"So to the tavern then?" Yuugi asked with a wide grin and all traces of insanity gone.

Seto snorted. "You won't always be able to cheat your way through the game, Mutou."

The grin never wavered. "It wasn't cheating. We didn't need shadow magic to set him on fire. We have flint and torches."

"Fine, to the tavern."

"Now if we just knew where THAT was," Anzu said, rolling her eyes. Someone had sold their map in the last town for a few extra coppers. Seto had notified Mokuba about that bug as well, it shouldn't even be an option because some players (she looked irritably at Jou) were dumb enough to sell anything, but that still didn't help them THIS game.

Honda and Jou looked at each other with matching grins and Honda delved into his pack again.

"Should we snag another passerby?" Ryou suggested shyly and Jou threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Ryou, I like the way you think. I like it very much."

Anzu hit them both.


	20. Eventually

A/N: A bit of an old piece and already posted in my LJ but I realized I never put it here! So you get a little heartshipping XD I luuurve heartshipping.

* * *

Ryou started when he felt a hand on his shoulder and craned his neck around from where he sat on the log facing the ocean and the sunset to stare into eyes that reflected almost as much color as the sky

Ryou started when he felt a hand on his shoulder and craned his neck around from where he sat on the log facing the ocean and the sunset to stare into eyes that reflected almost as much color as the sky. And right now they were filled with concern, probably for him. He tried to give Yugi a reassuring smile and felt that he mostly succeeded, even if it was more sad than anything. But then, Yugi would understand.

He warmed when an arm circled his shoulders and cuddled the cheek that was pressed against his own, surprised when he felt moisture.

"Are _you_ going to be alright?"

A soft sigh. "Eventually."

Ryou leaned back into the hug, trying to return as much comfort as he could and they watched the day fade together.


	21. Shades of Grey

A/N: Wow, there's a lot of stuff in my writing folder that hasn't made it here! It's a problem that must be remedied XD

This installment, a little introspection from Ryou!

* * *

Afraid of the dark?

Yes.

Very much so.

Oh, not the literal dark.

The metaphoric dark, I suppose.

'The darkness that lurks in the heart of man.'

If I'm allowed to be cliché.

I'm afraid of the potential for darkness that exists inside of me.

And I'm not referring to the spirit of the ring,

But rather,

How very, very dark he is,

And what that might mean for me.

Because we're supposed to be made of the same stuff.

Does that mean, though, that I would be capable of such atrocities?

Theft and murder and a life of which the sole purpose was revenge?

Everything lost to get back at one who had done worse?

Everything you are or could be,

Sacrificed to make sure one person paid for their crimes?

Everything gone

Lost to time

Including your name?

And the worst part is,

I can't really disagree.

I can't find the words to say for sure whether it was right or wrong.

Worth it,

Or a useless waste.

And the differences between that life and this are so much smaller than I'd like to believe.

So much smaller than what I'm comfortable with.

Both lost our families,

Both alone in the world . . .

Was the only real difference in how they died?

They all ended up gone anyways.

Was the only difference that you had someone to blame?

Really,

What it comes right down to,

If I had lived your life,

Seen what you saw,

Lived through that same horrific night,

Would I have done any differently?

Perhaps I'm so afraid of the dark,

Because I already live between shades of gray.


	22. Falling

A/N: I forget, sometimes, what a dark past Seto really had. Recently I was reminded by some incredible fanart.

* * *

The executive office is on the top floor of the building.

Some thought I would change it when I took over, but I like it up here.

Not for reasons that they think, however.

I like to look down on the city. I like to sit in his office and look out at his view and look down and wonder

what it was like to fall.

I like to wonder if he knew

that he only brought it on himself.


	23. Midnight

A/N: What was in my head this morning. Warnings for dark tendershipping XD

* * *

Heavy footsteps down the hall and the violent opening of the door to his room startled Ryou from where he sat on the bed, reading. His eyes wide, he watched as Bakura half carried, half dragged in someone behind him and set him to slump against the wall in a way that wasn't quite alive and Ryou wouldn't be surprised if the man were dead. It wouldn't have been the first time his dark had dragged in a body.

He opened his mouth to ask but recognized the hungry look in Bakura's eyes and barely had time to mark his page and toss the book to safety before

his mouth was claimed

clothing ripped

body taken.

At one point the man against the wall moaned, his head lifted from his chest and fell back against the wall, exposing his throat at just the right angle for the knife to sink in and he moved no more. Bakura thrust faster, bit harder, expressing the irritation of having been interrupted in the sex itself.

Lips at the boy's throat

teeth at his jaw

whispered words in his ear

"Scream for me,"

and Ryou did.


	24. The Wink

A/N: One of the presents for my hikari's b-day, just now getting around to posting it. Y'know the good kind of busy that promotes creativity and the other kind that doesn't? Yeah, it's been the other kind lately. *pout*

* * *

It was all worth it.

The endless duels, tours, challenges, attention when he'd rather be left alone.

All worth it to see that single image at the end, just before the holographs cut out,

the girl who would briefly overlap the dragon,

a bug in the system that he never worked out,

the girl who would turn and look over her shoulder,

right at him,

and wink.


	25. Magic of the Sun

A/N: Posted on LJ ages ago but I don't know why it never made it here! Glad I found it though. Sometimes it's just good to read your own stuff again. XD

* * *

_**Magic of the Sun**_

Even from the time when she was very, very young she understood. She understood about the world and how it worked and how it flowed together, just so. She could see the strains of magic as if they were something tangible. She could see how they folded around each other in the temples. How they danced for the gods. When someone was powerful, she could see it, when someone was weak, she could see it, and when she met the man who would notice her and become her teacher, the way light and energy and pure magic danced around him even when he didn't reach out and call it... He was beautiful.

Seven years old and brash as the day, she was compelled to tell him so and he laughed and was excited at the same time because of what he saw around her as well, for he was also very young. His insisting that she be brought to the court and taught to use her natural skill fell on deaf ears and when he loudly reminded his peers of his title and position, and that he was, in fact, a man, for men were made young in the ancient times, his voice cracked and they laughed. He walked away disappointed and embarrassed but the old king watched him leave, saw something none of the others had, and smiled.

Later, the Pharaoh's son, no older than the girl he had met and no less talented yet in different ways, ways that spoke of blood and black justice and madness barely contained, came to him with a small bag of gold and a message from his father. The young price spoke very seriously and quietly, as was his way, and said that the coins were to show the king's support of his full fledged priest and should be used as he deemed fit. A deep bow to the small boy and the priest, made so because he had mastered his art and had been chosen despite his age, walked stiff backed and proudly from the palace to do just that.

The girl had no parents, only a man she ran small errands for and called Master and who soon found himself well paid for the loss of his tiny helper. Her smile, when she returned from errands that day to find her beautiful young priest waiting for her, could have warmed a cool desert night with its brightness alone.

The exuberant hug he received, the way their magics tangled gently together, complimenting and completing each other, confirmed what he already knew. This was his student. And he would teach her everything.


	26. The Spirit

The spirit was bad.

The spirit was evil.

The spirit wanted to destroy the world.

The spirit lost his entire village.

The spirit lost his parents.

The spirit lost siblings.

Sometimes Ryou wanted to destroy the world a little, too.

* * *

A/N: Sorry I haven't posted anything in FOREVAR! I'm trying to get back into the writing habit beginning with a massive reorganization effort so hopefully you'll see more of me soon! Then you won't be able to make me go away but that will be another problem entirely...


End file.
